Nuggets – Thunder Preview
By Matt Welch
Two top-three offenses will be squaring off when the Denver Nuggets (37-22) welcome in the Oklahoma City Thunder (42-15) Friday night.
January 20, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) posts up against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westrbook (0) during the overtime period at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 121-118 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Denver might be without their top scorer once again on Friday, as Danilo Gallinari is still nursing a thigh bruise. But Ty Lawson is right up there with him and will be called upon to have another great night. The Nuggets floor general is averaging 25.0 points over the past five games. If Gallo sits out, Wilson Chandler could see a rise in his numbers. He’s averaging 15.0 points over the past two games. Another player who might see some more time on the court is Corey Brewer, who’s averaging 12.0 points over the past two games.
For the Thunder, Kevin Durant continues to play strong. He’s averaging just over 21 points, 11 boards and 7 assists per game. He racked up a triple-double the last time the Thunder took the court. Russell Westbrook is still continuing to make the case for being crowned as the best point guard in the league. He’s averaging just under 30 points per game over the Thunder’s current three-game winning streak.
Match-up to Watch: Point Guard
Lawson hasn’t fared well against Westbrook and the Thunder this season. During the two games, he’s only averaged 6.5 points and 5.0 assists. On the other side, Westbrook has played extremely well against the Nuggets. He’s averaged 34.0 points and 6.5 assists in the previous two match-ups. These two will be going at it all night, and with both players on hot streaks at the moment, it’ll be interesting to see who gets the upper-hand.
Tip-off is set for 10:30 pm ET (8:30 MT) from the Pepsi Center in Denver on ESPN.